Quintus Lollius Urbicus

Quintus Lollius Urbicus carried out an exceptionally brilliant senatorial career in the middle of the second century and was governor of the Roman province of Britannia (current Great Britain) of 138 with 144, following a decree of the Roman Emperor Antonin the Piles and also made build the Mur of Antonin. It finished its career like Préfet of Rome.

Biography

Origin

Lollius Urbicus was an African numide (Berber) romanized, originating in Tiddis, agglomeration belonging to the territory of the city of Cirta, in Numidie (current Algérie). It is known for us primarily by Latin inscriptions found in Tiddis or. A circular mausoleum built with four kilometers in the North of Tiddis and devoted to his/her father, his mother, two of her brothers and its uncle enables us to know his family circle. The inscription specifies indeed that his/her father was Mr. Lollius Senecio, married to Grania Honorata, sister of P. Granius Paulus. His/her two brothers named Mr. Lollius Honoratus (nickname drawn from the name of the mother) and L. Lollius Senis. Their nicknames let think that Urbicus was youngest of the phratry. The accession with the senatorial order required the possession of a minimal taxable quota of a million sesterces: the family of Lollii was one of the “big families of the country”. The people of the mother, Granii, is well attested on the territory of the confederation cirtéenne and undoubtedly constituted also an important family. Any door to believe that Urbicus was the first member of its family to enter to the senate: it was a Homo novus .

Favoured beginnings

Two rather similar inscriptions with the text make known to us the Cursus honorum of our character: the various loads which he exerted within the political and military administration Roman empire. Of these two texts, the dedication of the base of the statue which the town of Tiddis had raised to him is best preserved.

Urbicus has very quickly climbs the levels and according to the hierarchy of the senatorial career , it had initially been in charge of a highways department ( to quattuorvir viarum curandarum ), then made one year of military service as powerful orator of the soldiers in the XXIIème Légion Primigenia which held its higher garrison in Germanie. After having exerted the quaestorship in Rome even, it was successively Légat proconsul of Asia, Tribun of the plebs and Préteur. In these the last two stations, he is the official candidate of the emperor, signs explicit recommendation of this last: Urbicus already is thus well seen in court and profits from powerful supports.

One of large the character of first half of the second century

It should be believed that its beginnings had been supported because one saw in him a promising character. He is then named Légat Xème Légion Gemina which was in Pannonia: this direct nomination with the head of a legion intended it for a short and fast career until the consulate. With the head of its troops it has to serve in the forwarding directed against the Jews in 132 - 135 (Révolte of Bar Kokhba) under the emperor Hadrian, it obtained, in reward its exploits, a lance of honor and a gold crown. After its consulate, which it is necessary to place towards 136, it was then governor of the lower province of Germanie then of the province of Britannia where several inscriptions attest of its work. It finished its career as a Préfet of Rome, function extremely honorary and prestigious. One considers sometimes that it remained in station of 150 with 160, lasted particularly long, but that is not explicitly proven: its date of arrival in station is posterior with 146, but is not precisely known, and it is not sure that he is the prefect whose death is known into 160.

A significant social rise of the integration of provincial to the imperial leading layers

Quoting this same inscription detailing the career of Quintus Lollius Urbicus, the historian Colin Wells points out at which point the Roman Empire was remarkable in the sense that it allowed many individuals resulting from modest milieus, whatever their culture, to rise in the hierarchy. He concludes that “no other period of the history, the second or third wire of a landowner Berber of a small town of the interior could have made such a career which led it to occupy the high positions in Asia, Judaea, on the the Danube… the the Low-Rhine and the Brittany to finish its career like Préfet of Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire to which all these provinces belonged”

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